Faded (Alan Walker song)


"Faded" is a song by Norwegian DJ and record producer Alan Walker with vocals by Norwegian singer-songwriter Iselin Solheim. A rework of Walker's earlier song "Fade", the song was written by Walker, Jesper Borgen, Mood Melodies, and Gunnar Greve, and produced by the former three. The song was released as a single by MER on 3 December 2015 for digital download and streaming.
Critics praised "Faded" for its melancholic melody, synthesizers, and vocals. It was also a commercial success, topping Norway's VG-lista chart for 14 weeks and becoming Walker's first number-one single. In Germany, it reached number one on the Gfk Entertainment charts for ten weeks. It also reached number one on the Shazam Worldwide Top 100 Popular Songs in February 2016, and by March 2016, had become the world's most Shazamed song. "Faded" debuted at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 80. This was Walker's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the 16th Norwegian song to chart there. The song achieved massive global success, topping the charts in 18 countries including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. It also topped the year-end charts in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden.
The accompanying music video was released the day after the single's release and was directed by Rikkard and Tobias Häggbom and filmed in Estonia. It reached one billion views on YouTube on March 26, 2017, becoming the first Norwegian song to achieve this milestone. It also became the first Electronic dance music song to surpass three billion views on YouTube. As of June 2024, it ranks as the 28th most viewed YouTube video, with over 3.8 billion views as of May 2025.
The song won The Cannes Lions Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, the Årets Låt award at Spellenmannprisen'16, the Best International Hit award at Swiss Music Awards and was nominated for British Single of the Year at the Brit Awards 2017 and Song of the Year at the Echo Music Prize. Walker debuted a live performance of "Faded" with Solheim and string support on 27 February 2016 at the X Games in Oslo, Norway. It was put as the ultimate track on Walker's album Different World after an interlude specific to the track.

Background

The song "Faded" is a remake of Walker's earlier song "Fade", which was released by the British record label NoCopyrightSounds in 2014. When "Fade" first started gaining attention in 2014, Walker got a feedback saying: "Oh, it feels like this song has lyrics, but there are no words". From that point on, Walker began to realise that the song had potential as a vocal track, an idea he sat over for a bit. He envisioned fleshing out "Fade" into a larger song, but was not ready to do it yet. So, he passed his time on other releases like "Spectre" and "Force". "Fade" had already racked up over 65 million views on YouTube and over 15 million streams on Spotify before the release of "Faded", leading to his signing with Norwegian record label MER Musikk.
On August 24, 2015, he signed with MER Musikk, signing the contract at his home with Gunnar Greve. After that, he began working on a new version of "Fade" with his new songwriting team: Anders Frøen, Jesper Borgen, and Gunnar Greve. The team wrote the song's topline and lyrics, rebuilt the track, and added piano. Walker was also searching for the right vocalist to remake "Fade", and when he met fellow Norwegian singer Iselin Solheim through Jesper Borgen, one of the songwriters he was working with, Walker knew it was the perfect fit.

Lyrics and composition

The lyrics for "Faded" were written by Walker, Jesper Borgen, Anders Frøen, and Gunnar Greve. In addition to the lyrics, the team rebuilt the track with a new mix and mastering, and piano has been introduced. Walker said that by adding lyrics and piano "the whole song just came together". In the acoustic version only the piano, violin, and Solheim's vocals are heard. Lyrically, the song expresses a sense of longing and search for something meaningful. Its protagonist feels like she is fading away, both physically and emotionally, and struggles to find her way back to a place of belonging and purpose.
In a Genius attribution, Walker said of the lyrics:
The song has been described as electro house, progressive house and melodic house. Additionally, the song has been described as melodic and melancholic. According to the digital sheet music published on Musicnotes.com, it is written in the E♭ minor key, with a tempo of 90 beats per minute and a chord progression based on Em–C–G–D. Due to its slow tempo, the song is often categorized as "downtempo", but Walker said in an interview with Norwegian state-owned public broadcaster NRK: "This is not what's popular these days. 'Fade' and 'Faded' are different from other songs in tempo". In a 2016 interview with the American online magazine The Knockturnal, he said: "I don't know where came from, but I try to let my emotions and feelings have a big influence on the melodies I produce".

Critical reception

"Faded" was met with acclaim from music critics. Anke van de Weyer of German radio station 1LIVE said, "It's a brilliant pendulum between melancholy and bass banging, but when it gets too set, Alan Walker picks up the tempo, and when he really gets into party mode, he slows down again". Simon Cleese of the music website wrote, "With Faded, Alan Walker, along with vocalist Iselin Solheim, has created a radio hit that is at least as suitable for main floor clubs. The mood, vocals, and elements make Faded a very special song". Austrian news portal wrote, "The voice of young artist Iselin Solheim fits the concept perfectly". Emily Blake of Mashable called the song "the dizzying, beautifully lonesome EDM track". Bradley Stern of PopCrush called it absolutely stunning, with its "lonesome trance pulsations" and "the ghostly cries of 'Where are you now?'". S. B. Vijaya Mary of The Hindu praised the song, saying that its "uniquely melancholic mood" "connected with EDM audiences".
Tatiana Cirisano of Billboard ranked the song at number one in her listicle "Alan Walker's 5 Best Songs: Critic's Picks", stating that "The rolling beats and stunning synth progressions have captivated dance listeners around the world". American media platform Dancing Astronaut ranked the song at 78th position among "Dancing Astronaut's Top 100 Songs of the Decade", stating that "'Faded' charmed both dance and non-dance fans with its instrumental beauty and brand of anonymity". Nettavisen ranked the song 19th in their listicle "The 100 best Norwegian hit songs ever". Vice ranked "Faded" at number 93 on their "The 101 Best EDM Songs of All Time" list: " feels shockingly singular amid the trap arms race, despite sharing a title with one of 2014's biggest EDM hits and having the same chorus as another . While The Chainsmokers were riding waveform roller coasters, Walker chose to make something weightless. Drifting piano parts float around Fourth World synth percussion, resulting in what Enigma might throw together after a big huff of helium".

Commercial performance

Global

"Faded" was an immediate commercial success worldwide, reaching number one on the charts in 18 countries and reaching the top five in over 25 countries. The song reached number one on Shazam's Worldwide Top 100 Popular Songs in February 2016, where it remained at number one for seven weeks, and was the most Shazamed song worldwide by March 2016. The song also reached number one on the Spotify Global Viral Chart and number five on the Global Top 50. It also reached 500 million streams on Spotify in December 2016 and 1 billion streams in April 2019, making it the first Norwegian song to reach both milestones and the first song outside the UK or US to reach over 1 billion streams. As of July 2016, the single has been downloaded 4 million times. Five years after the song's release, it debuted on the Billboard Global Excl. US chart on September 19, 2020, and peaked at number 147 on the chart on November 21, 2020.

North America

In the United States, "Faded" debuted at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated April 30, 2016. This was Walker's first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 and became the 16th Norwegian song to chart there. After that, the song moved in and out of the lower reaches of the chart, but rose from number 97 to number 81 on the chart dated June 11, 2016. It also ranked number 4 on the Dance Club Songs chart and number 7 on the Hot Dance/Electronic Songs chart. As of July 2016, Billboard reported that "Faded" was the 10th best-selling EDM song in the United States with 186,000 sales, and the 10th most-streamed EDM song on demand across audio and video in the United States with 77,084,000 streams. Billboard reported a similar report in July 2017, making it the 9th most-watched EDM song on video on demand with 63,990,000 views. In a July 2018 report, the song was the 7th most-streamed EDM song on demand across audio and video in the United States with 121,162,000 streams. In July 2019, it was reported to be the third most-streamed EDM song on demand across audio and video with 192,396,000 streams. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the single triple platinum for sales of over 3 million units and track-equivalent streams. In Canada, the song reached number 32 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart dated June 18, 2016, and remained on the chart for 31 weeks. The Music Canada certified the single 8× Platinum for sales of 640,000 units and track-equivalent streams.

Europe

In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 91 on the UK Singles Chart on 11 February 2016. On the chart dated April 1, 2016, the song rose seven places to number 11, up from number 18 the previous week, and the following week, on the chart dated April 8, it rose four places to number 7, making it Walker's first top ten entry. The song stayed on the charts for 42 weeks. It also debuted at number 39 on the UK Dance Chart on 15 January 2016, and peaked at number 2 on the chart dated 29 April 2016. In 2019, Official Charts Company released their The Top 40 one-hit wonders of the decade chart, a chart of the biggest single hits by artists who only had one Top 40 hit in the 2010s, with "Faded" ranking at number 13. Also, in 2022, to mark the 70th anniversary of the UK Singles Chart, they released the UK's Most-Streamed songs of all time chart, with the song coming in at number 147. The British Phonographic Industry certified the single triple platinum for sales of over 1.8 million units and track-equivalent streams.
In Walker's native Norway, the song reached number 19 within a week of its release in 2015, and rose to number one a week later on the chart dated December 20, 2015. It remained at the top of the charts for 14 weeks, before being stopped from reaching the top of the charts for 15 weeks by Norwegian music producer Kygo and British singer Labrinth's single "Fragile". On Spotify, the song had been streamed 431.7 million times as of 20 July 2016, surpassing Kygo's song "Firestone" featuring Conrad Sewell, which had 431.1 million streams, to become the most-streamed Norwegian song. It was also Norway's most streamed song on Spotify in 2016.
In Germany, the song debuted at number 69 on the Top 100 Singles chart dated January 15, 2016. It entered the top 10 three weeks later, and reached number one the following week on the chart dated February 12, 2016. It remained at the top of the chart for the next ten weeks. It topped the Top 20 Dance chart for 13 weeks and the airplay chart for two weeks. It reached number one on the 2016 year-end chart. The song was streamed 3.69 million times in one week, setting a new streaming record in Germany, beating English singer Adele's song "Hello" with 3.5 million streams. Bundesverband Musikindustrie certified the single 7× Gold for sales of 1.4 million units and track-equivalent streams.
"Faded" topped the charts in several European countries, including Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. It also reached number one on the year-end charts in Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden, and charted in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Russia and Ukraine at the decade-end charts.

Music video

Production

The music video for "Faded" features Swedish actor Shahab Salehi. It was produced and edited by Swedish production company Bror Bror and directed by Rikkard and Tobias Häggbom; Rikkard Häggbom served as director of photography. The music video was filmed in Estonia at such locations as the Linnahall building; a disused textile manufacturing plant and a concert hall in Tallinn; the former Rummu prison; the Rummu quarry and lake alongside the adjoining spoil tip in Vasalemma Parish; and the city of Paldiski.

Synopsis

The music video is set in a world where a catastrophe has occurred, and the protagonist is searching for his home with other survivors. The video shows a young man dressed in scruffy clothes and covering his face, roaming with his backpack and a photograph of his home in his hand. He wanders through devastated high rises and derelict structures in an abandoned town, wielding a flare to explore a dark building. Guided by the photo, he finally locates his home, which lies in ruins. With a final look at his home, he removes his mask, and the video fades to black.

Reception

The music video was released on December 4th, the day after the single was released. Within 24 hours of its release, the video had been viewed over 1 million times. Since its release in December 2015, it has been viewed 2 million times a day, and as of February 24, 2016, it had reached 11 million views. According to Walker's management company, MER, as of March 2017, it was being viewed approximately 1 million times per day. According to Norwegian newspaper Bergens Tidende, it was among the top 100 most-viewed YouTube videos by September 2016.
The music video reached 1 billion views on YouTube on March 26, 2017, becoming the first Norwegian song to achieve this milestone. Reaching this milestone also made Walker a member of the Billion View Club. The video became the first EDM song to reach over 3 billion views on YouTube. As of June 2024, it also ranks as the 28th most-viewed YouTube video, with over 3.8 billion views as of May 2025. As of February 2025, it has over 28 million likes, making it the 8th most-liked YouTube music video.
On 24 September 2021, the music video for "Paradise", a seventh single for Walker's follow-up album World of Walker, was released on YouTube featuring K-391 and Boy in Space as a collaboration with mobile game PUBG Mobile. Taking place at the same time as "Faded"'s music video, it serves as a retroactive expansion of "Faded", with it becoming the start of the "World of Walker" universe.

Acoustic version

On 11 February 2016, Alan Walker published an acoustic version of the song, titled "Faded ", performed on piano and strings with all the EDM elements taken out. Walker wrote in a note to The Fader that he had decided on an alternative version of "Faded", so as "to highlight other aspects of the song; to present it to another audience who may like Iselin 's voice and the melodies, but can't stand the electronic parts of it".
The music video for the "Restrung" version features Walker, Solheim, and a string ensemble performing in the reactor hall of the dismantled R1, Sweden's first nuclear reactor. The cast wore black hoodies bearing Walker's logo of his stylized initials. The R1 reactor hall is located underground at Sweden's Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. The team who created the video for "Faded" returned for the "Restrung" version — Bror Bror was the producer, Rikkard and Tobias Häggbom directed, and Shahab Salehi was credited as an assistant. The filming atmosphere closely resembles that of "Faded"; according to a behind the scenes video of the filming, the "Restrung" video was conceived as a continuation to the original video.

Remixes and EP

"Faded" has been the subject of numerous remixes. "Faded " was released as an EP on April 29, 2016. The EP includes remixes by Tiësto, Luke Christopher, Dash Berlin, Tungevag & Raaban, and Y&V. There are two versions of Tiësto's remix. Proma Khosla of Mashable wrote that "'Faded' grew exponentially in popularity after Tiësto remixed the track". The album version of the EP, released on the same day, also included remixes by Young Bombs and Slushii in addition to the remixes included on the EP. In April 2016, Hardwell performed a his remix of "Faded" on episode 261 of his online music show, Hardwell On Air. A remix of "Faded" by Kryder and Tom Staar was posted to SoundCloud in May 2016 and made available for free download. The Indian DJ duo Lost Stories remix of "Faded" was released exclusively in India on July 29, 2016. The remix uses flute and is highly praised for its Indian classical touch.
The Japan-only EP of "Faded", titled "Faded Japan EP", was released by Sony Music Labels on April 25, 2018, to coincide with his appearance at in Makuhari, Chiba Prefecture, and the fact that "Faded" was the theme song for Takashi Miike's Japanese film Laplace's Witch. In addition to "Faded", the EP includes "Alone", "Tired", "The Spectre", "Sing Me to Sleep", "Routine", and "Faded ".

Live performances

Several female vocalists have performed the song live: Iselin Solheim, the original vocalist on the recording, Ingrid Helene Håvik, Tove Styrke, Alexandra Rotan, Angelina Jordan, Zara Larsson and Torine Michelle. On February 27, 2016, he debuted his live performance of "Faded" with Iselin Solheim at the X Games in Oslo, which was simultaneously aired live on Norwegian television. On 7 April, he teamed up with Zara Larsson at the Echo Awards in Germany, where they performed each other's songs "Faded" and "Never Forget You". On June 24, he performed "Faded" and "Sing Me to Sleep" with Iselin Solheim at the concert at Rådhusplassen in Oslo in front of an audience of approximately 60,000. The performance was broadcast live on VGTV and NRK.

Accolades

The song "Faded" won a The Cannes Lions Award at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Best International Hit at the Eska Music Awards, Årets Låt at Spellemannprisen '16, and was nominated for British Single of the Year at the Brit Awards.
YearOrganizationAwardResult
2016P3 GullÅrets Låt
2016Cannes Lions International Festival of CreativityThe Cannes Lions AwardWon
2016Eska Music AwardsBest International HitWon
2017Spellemannprisen '16Årets Låt Won
2017Brit AwardsBritish Single of the Year
2017KKBox Music AwardsBest Western Single of the YearWon
2017Echo AwardsSong of the YearNomitated
2017Swiss Music AwardsBest International HitWon

Track listing

  • Digital – single
  1. "Faded" – 3:32
  2. "Faded" – 3:35
  • Digital – EP
  1. "Faded" – 3:32
  2. "Faded" – 3:34
  3. "Faded" – 3:37
  4. "Faded" – 3:35
  • Digital – Restrung
  1. "Faded" – 3:37
  • Digital – Remixes EP
  1. "Faded" – 4:29
  2. "Faded" – 3:35
  3. "Faded" – 4:11
  4. "Faded" – 4:33
  5. "Faded" – 4:10
  6. "Faded" – 3:26
  • Digital – Remixes
  1. "Faded" – 4:29
  2. "Faded" – 3:31
  3. "Faded" – 3:23
  4. "Faded" – 3:35
  5. "Faded" – 4:11
  6. "Faded" – 4:33
  7. "Faded" – 4:10
  8. "Faded" – 3:26
  • CD single
  1. "Faded" – 3:32
  2. "Faded" – 3:34
  3. "Faded" – 3:37
  4. "Faded" – 4:29
  5. "Faded" – 4:10
  • 7-inch
  1. "Faded" – 3:32
  2. "Faded" – 3:35
  3. "Faded" – 3:37
  • Digital – Remixes II
  1. "Faded" – 3:31
  2. "Faded" – 3:22
  1. "Faded" – 3:31
  • CD – EP
  1. "Faded" – 3:32
  2. "Alone" – 3:34
  3. "Tired" – 3:37
  4. "The Spectre" – 3:11
  5. "Sing Me to Sleep" – 3:11
  6. "Routine" – 2:48
  7. "Faded" – 4:10

Personnel

Credits were adapted from Apple Music.

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Brazil 196
Hungary 44
Hungary 26
Hungary 46
Sweden 99
Switzerland 56

Decade-end charts

Chart Position
Global Excl. US 147